Extreme Metal – Reviews, Gigs, Interviews and more

Aeolus – Celestial Forest

US Atmospheric Black Metal

7/10 – Review by Luke Hayhurst

Sporting that murky demo sound, Wisconsin black metal one man project Aeolus hits the spot perfectly in creating dark, powerful and moody atmospheric black metal, sort of along the lines of early Burzum! “Celestial Forest” was written/performed/recorded/mastered by just one man and so you could call this a labour of love, the end result being a very endearing black metal release.

From the cold, wind swept moors of opener “Divinity in Darkness” comes a chilling, mournful aura whilst “The Embrace of the Shadows” is the first foray into out right black metal and the muffled drum beats, scorching vocals and hypnotic riffs combine well to produce a sound both satisfyingly dismal and ravenously hostile! Overall this has a methodical, simple beat but this works sublimely when meshed with howling shrieks and sinister sound riffs, and on top of this a meaty, prominent bass line! With a blackened interlude of “Fallen Leaves”, Aeolus once more casts the world into darkness with a droning, malicious sound before “Spirits Adrift” opens with a more cautious and dare I say it, pleasant tone, before a hammering of blast beats/riffs assaults your senses! Whilst what Aeolus produces is fairly standard black metal, the atmospheric flourishes are a nice touch and the soul twisting vocals are both devastating and raging in their power and intensity!

One man projects are ten a penny these days in an over-saturated scene yet Aeolus‘s work is endearing, powerful and worth hearing. As an added bonus this release is available as a name your price download from the Bandcamp link below, and whilst you can get it for free why not slip the man a few spare pennies? I guarantee you its worth it!